Joe Mixon: The Fantasy Impact Of His Procedure

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported Friday afternoon that Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon had a small particle in his knee dislodged during TNF, per a source.

The Injury To Joe Mixon:

Bengals’ RB Joe Mixon has a small particle in his knee that was dislodged Thursday night and is scheduled to be removed with a procedure Friday, per source. The procedure is expected to sideline Mixon two weeks, per source.

Mixon had 22 touches week 2, 21 carries for 84 yards and a catch for three yards. On the season, Mixon’s totaled 179 rushing yards and a touchdown on 38 carries, and six catches for 57 yards.

The Impact On Giovani Bernard:

Owned in less than 40 percent of ESPN leagues, Bernard’s a must-add week 3. Based off Mixon’s usage the first two weeks of the season, which limited Bernard to 12 touches, Bernard’s in for a heavy workload.

Still, Bernard doesn’t have the size or talent of Mixon, so don’t expect more than 20 touches (carries and catches) a game for Bernard, if that. But, Bill Lazor’s improved the Bengals with the implementation of his offense with an offseason to do so after being thrust into his role week 3 last season. Andy Dalton and the emergence of Tyler Boyd, alongside A.J. Green, look formidable enough to fend off stacked boxes.

The Bengals face the Panthers and Falcons in weeks 3 and 4, and the Dolphins week 5 should Mixon suffer any setbacks.

The Giovani Bernard Role Replacement:

Only in 14-team leagues or deeper should you add Tra Carson or Mark Walton.

Tra Carson

Carson played in five percent of offensive snaps week 1 while playing in 59 percent of special teams snaps. In week 2, Carson played in three percent of offensive snaps, while playing in 70 percent of special teams snaps.

It appears the Bengals were opting to have Carson active over Walton the first two weeks because of his special teams’ prowess, but with the injury, to Mixon, his backfield mate Walton will be active by default.

Don’t expect Carson’s role to change with Mixon’s injury, he’s better left on waivers.

Mark Walton

Walton’s been inactive the first two weeks of the season, but will most likely be active week 3. Walton was a fourth-round pick during the 2018 NFL Draft. At five foot nine and about two hundred pounds, Walton’s body type is almost identical to Bernard who is also five foot nine and about two hundred pounds.

Walton’s interesting in 14-team or deeper PPR formats because Bernard isn’t a 20-carry a game guy. 10-15 carries, and a handful of catches is best for Bernard, and the same can be said for Walton. Bernard has the coaching staff’s trust and you’re prioritizing him over Walton, but Walton’s worth a speculative add week 3. Depending on his game results, Walton could be serviceable PPR flex week 4, right before Mixon returns from his procedure.

UPDATE: NFL.com Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday afternoon that Mixon’s procedure was successful and that Mixon’s return will be in about 2-4 weeks.

Following successful arthroscopic knee surgery today, #Bengals RB Joe Mixon’s timeframe for return is roughly between 2 and 4 weeks, source said. The extra time between games should help, but likely to miss at least 1.